Pentagon might delay sacking the Warthog?

photo from the John Q. Public mil-blog

DefenseOne.com has this story that says the USAF might delay their planned cut of the A-10 Warthog (really the Thunderbolt II) from its fleet. From their story:

“I think we would probably move the retirement slightly to the right,” Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, the head of Air Combat Command, the arm of the Air Force that oversees all fighter and attack planes, said Tuesday at a Defense Writers Group breakfast in Washington.

“Eventually we will have to get there, we will have to retire airplanes, but I think moving it to the right and starting it a bit later and maybe keeping the airplane around a little bit longer is something that’s being considered based on things as they are today and that we see them in the future,” said Carlisle.

The Air Force has said for the past few years, much to the consternation of congress, JTACs, and others that they need to retire the A-10 in favor of the F-35 which is a jack of all trades, master of none, type of a plane. They say it can replace the AV-8B Harrier jump jet, the A-10, and possibly the F/A-18 Hornet as it is newer and well stealthy. Never mind that it can’t fire its cannon for a few more years or even if it can, it carries less than 200 rounds or that the cost overruns on the weapon platform has made it the most expensive plane ever in the history of ever.

Part of this is due to recent deployments to Syria by the A-10 to provide CAS for Kurds and Syrian fighters who are battling ISIS aka ISIL aka the Islamic State. The Pentagon recently sent a squadron of planes there to help the rebels. And let’s face it. There isn’t a better close air support plane out there and it’s pretty cheap to fly.

Author: Andy Kravetz

Andy Kravetz has spent most of the past 16 years covering the area's legal system as well as the military. in that time, he's crawled in the mud, flown in transport planes, and written about a man prosecuted for terrorism. This blog will reflect all those interests and then some.
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